**Surgeon Removed from UK Medical Register After Attributing Failures to External Noise**
A surgeon formerly practising in Wales has been struck off the General Medical Council (GMC) register after a catastrophic skills assessment, in which he attempted to blame his mistakes on noisy football fans outside the examination venue. The decision follows a protracted period of concern over his clinical abilities and professional conduct.
Dr Elroy Weledji, a medical graduate of University College Dublin in 1992 and originally from Cameroon, once worked as a registrar and trainee surgeon in both Monmouthshire and other regions of the United Kingdom. However, his career in the UK came under scrutiny after an initial complaint from a colleague while he was employed in Scotland. This led to a GMC-ordered assessment in 2001, which identified significant deficiencies in his surgical skills, legal compliance, and patient respect.
Following these findings, Dr Weledji was suspended indefinitely by a 2004 medical tribunal after it concluded that he made no discernible effort to address or improve upon the earlier concerns. When he applied for the restoration of his medical registration in 2009, the tribunal again found no substantive evidence of improved professional competence.
In a renewed attempt to return to the UK two years ago, Dr Weledji presented his case to the GMC, asserting he had been the victim of racial discrimination during his time in British hospitals. He also claimed that his professional trajectory had substantially improved since taking up a post as a professor of surgery, and gastrointestinal specialist, in Cameroon. He alleged that the original cause of his difficulties in the UK had been a consultant with a personal vendetta, and suggested that the subsequent complaints about his performance were a consequence of this personal grudge.
Despite these claims, the GMC permitted Dr Weledji a final three-day skills retest at a hospital in Wigan, supervised by two senior surgeons. The assessment comprehensively tested his abilities as a consultant general surgeon, focusing on colorectal surgery through both procedures on preserved cadavers and interactions with simulated patients.
The outcome of this assessment, however, brought further controversy. Dr Weledji was found to have made “serious and persistent errors” during the assessment, with his open surgical technique rated as “unsafe.” According to assessors, these deficiencies could have placed real patients at significant risk, had the procedures taken place in an actual clinical setting.
Responding to the adverse findings, Dr Weledji cited disruption and distraction caused by football supporters making noise outside the hospital. He also claimed hunger affected his performance, despite being provided with lunch and regular rest intervals. Notably, Dr Weledji acknowledged that he did not raise these environmental concerns at the time of the assessment, nor did he submit any formal complaint about the conditions during the retest.
The latest medical tribunal in July 2025 found his explanations unpersuasive and ultimately agreed to remove him from the medical register. Tribunal chairperson Ruona Iguyovwe stated that while Dr Weledji accepted his clinical skills were not at the standard expected in the UK, no credible evidence was presented to suggest he had taken steps to remedy past deficiencies. He had said that supervision from a professor at King’s College could help address these gaps, but provided no documentation or verifiable support for this claim.
Summarising the panel’s rationale, Ms Iguyovwe remarked, “There is no evidence before the tribunal to show that he has taken any steps or any adequate steps to address the wider concerns raised in the performance assessment. Were he to be allowed to resume unrestricted practice as a surgeon in the UK, he would undoubtedly present a risk to patient safety.”
The GMC’s decision underlines the stringent standards expected of medical professionals in the UK and the seriousness with which patient safety is regarded. The case also highlights the complexities and challenges the regulator faces in balancing fairness, due process, and the public’s trust in health services.
Dr Weledji’s removal from the register means he is no longer permitted to practise medicine in the UK, bringing a lengthy and troubled association with the country’s health sector to a decisive close.